Adele's sous chef feeds its staff well

In the fall of 2000, I began my adventures at Adele's restaurant. My wife Stacie and our 1-year-old son moved to Carson City so that I could work specifically at Adele's. I saw the opportunity to hone my cooking skills at a restaurant that had a long-standing reputation for high standards.

My adventures began with a relatively light load of work as a kind of test of my skills and knowledge in the kitchen. Gradually the responsibilities increased along with the demand to go beyond the level that I had achieved in my previous employ.

One of my responsibilities became the daily staff meals. The chef/owner of the restaurant, Charlie Abowd, challenged me to show my creativity to my working peers, while at the same time being frugal with the ingredients I had to work with.

This practice has become invaluable to me on many levels. In this process, I have learned to combine some of the delicious sauces that we serve in the restaurant on maybe a filet mignon or a tasty piece of fish and apply that to a less expensive piece of meat such as chicken. Also, I can be creative with some of my past and present knowledge and experiment with something new and different.

So here I submit to you two of the staffs' favorite meals with their recipes; a savory southwest chicken in lime chili sauce and Pacific Rim catfish with banana mashed potatoes.

Southwest Chicken in Lime Chili Sauce

4 boneless chicken breasts

1/4 cup red bell pepper diced 1/4 inch

1/4 cup pasilla pepper diced 1/4 inch

1/2 cup diced yellow onion

4 cloves garlic diced fine

1 jalapeno pepper fine diced with the seeds discarded

1/2 cup diced tomatoes

1 cup chopped cilantro

1/2 cup goat cheese

juice of 2 limes

1 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 Tbsp. cooking oil

1/2 tsp. cumin powder

1 tsp. chili pepper flakes

1/2 tsp. ground Ancho chili powder

1 Tbsp. flour

1 avocado sliced

salt and pepper to taste

For the Chicken

Preheat oven at 350 degrees.

Rub the chicken with one-half of the diced garlic, the chili pepper flakes and a pinch of the cilantro. Lightly sprinkle with salt and cracked black pepper. Heat a large cast iron or heavy-bottomed skillet for 3 minutes. Add cooking oil and heat for 1 more minute. Place chicken rub side down in the heated skillet and cook until you can see the edges of the chicken turn golden brown. Flip the chicken and cook 2 more minutes. Remove chicken from the skillet and place in a pie tin and place it in the preheated oven for 15 min. Reserve the skillet with the pan juices and oil for the sauce.

For the Sauce

Reheat the skillet with the oil and juices. Add the remaining garlic and diced jalapeno peppers and stir. Cook until garlic is slightly browned. Add red bell peppers, pasilla, and onion and stir. Cook for 3 min. and add Ancho chili powder, cumin powder and flour and cook and stir constantly for three more minutes. Add chicken stock and lime juice and bring to boil. When sauce starts to thicken, add heavy cream and another pinch of cilantro. Reduce until slightly thick and remove from heat.

For the Plate

Remove the chicken from the oven and let set for 3 min. Place a liberal amount of sauce on 4 large plates. Sprinkle tomatoes, goat cheese and cilantro on plates. Slice chicken and place in the center of each presentation. Surround chicken with slices of avocado. Salt and pepper to taste.

Note: This dish can be served with your favorite rice or potato.

Pacific Rim Catfish w/Banana Mashed Potatoes

4-6 oz. catfish fillets

8 bacon strips

1/2 cup red bell pepper fine diced

1/2 cup yellow onion fine diced

1/4 cup chopped green onion

1 bunch green onion, cut in 1 inch pieces

1 bunch cilantro

2 jalapeno peppers fine diced

2 jalapenos sliced in rounds 1/8 inch thick

1 cup orange juice

1 cup pineapple juice

1 cup lime juice

1 cup soy sauce

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup sesame or peanut oil

For the Marinade

Combine all of the wet ingredients with the bell peppers, onions, diced green onions, diced jalapenos and brown sugar in a bowl. Add half of the 1/4 cup of oil.

For the Catfish

Marinate the catfish for one-half hour. Heat large skillet for 3 minutes on high heat and then add remaining oil and heat until the oil gets hot. Place the catfish in the hot skillet and cook for 5 minutes or until you see the edges of the catfish caramelize to a black color. Do not be concerned with the black color. It is an important part of the process. Reserve the marinade. Flip the catfish and cook 3 more minutes. Add enough of the reserved marinade to cover the catfish half way. Cook until the marinade has reduced into a syrupy consistency. Remove from heat.

For the Topping

Cook bacon strips until crispy and reserve on a paper towel. Heat a medium skillet and add 2 Tbsp. of sesame or peanut oil. Allow it to get smoking hot. Be careful when you add the jalapeno rounds and green onion pieces. Cook until they blister and splash with a tsp. of soy sauce. Remove from heat.

For the Banana Mashed Potatoes

Optional, these should be done before the rest of the recipe.

4 peeled Yukon gold potatoes, boiled

1/2 stick butter

1 cup milk scalded

1 ripe banana

salt and pepper to taste

Boil potatoes until tender and drain. Add remaining ingredients and mash together.

For the Plate

With a spatula, gently remove catfish from skillet and place on plate. Top the catfish with desired amount of sauce, topping, and 2 strips of bacon each. Place the banana mashed potatoes near the catfish and drizzle with some of the remaining sauce. Enjoy!

David George has been the assistant to Charlie Abowd for three years at Adele's Restaurant.